After an excellent night’s sleep (not surprising given the previous day’s efforts), I set off from Wittlich at around 8:45 to return to Bruch to pick up the Eifelsteig again. The charming lady running the hotel was delighted that I had enjoyed her restaurant recommendation and told me that I’d be eating well again that evening at Denis’s Hotel in Zemmer. That gave me a fine goal for the day!
A nagging blister had formed under one of my toes, probably because my boots had got so wet from the heavy dew in the fields on the long detour the day before. It wasn’t too painful, but my boots were now dry and I didn’t want to get them wet again, so I stuck to the road as much as possible on the way back to Bruch.
It was another misty morning, which created a few nice opportunities for photos as I headed back up the road lined with apple trees.
When I reached the spot where I had arrived at the road the day before (after a steep descent alongside the motorway), I realized I could follow an easier route by taking a cycle path over the motorway and into the centre of the village of Bergweiler, on the ridge between the two valleys. I finally emerged from the mist at this point and the rest of the day was spent beneath clear blue skies.
After Bergweiler, I tried tackling a path through the fields, but the grass was so heavy with dew, the outside of my boots was soaked in no time. As it was Sunday morning and there was hardly any traffic, I decided to stick to the road and walked down it all the way back to Bruch.
After a brief rest on the square, where I gave my blistered foot a soak in the cold water of the fountain, I set off along stage 14 of the Eifelsteig. This led me past the village castle, which looked like something straight out of a fairytale. They have a few rooms for guests in the place but unfortunately there were no vacancies the previous night, which is why I had been obliged to go to Wittlich. It would be fun to stay there on a future trip.
From Bruch, the trail began a gentle climb that would continue for the rest of the day. Over the next 14 kilometres or so I would climb about 600 metres, so it was never very steep. It was mostly in the woods, with a few open sections around the villages that I passed through.
The first village was Gladbach, which the trail skirted. Then came Greverath where I had decided to make a stop as it was midway between Bruch and Zemmer. I set my pack down on a bench and then noticed an information board, indicating a rest area with a Kneipp bath 400 metres further on. So the pack went straight back and I headed in that direction.
The rest area turned out to be perfect with a Kneipp bath for both arms and legs. It did my blistered foot the power of good and I had a good rest in the sun before setting off again.
The trail continued to head gently uphill through the forest, making its way to the Rothaus inn (I didn’t stop as I only had two more kilometres to go). There, I emerged into open fields for the rest of the way to Zemmer.
This final section was once again lined with apple and pear trees that it was clear no one was tending to because all the fruit lay on the ground rotting away and providing a feast for the local wasps. It seemed such a pity that this fruit should go to waste, especially as I’m sure these are rare varieties of apple and pear that it would be a wise idea to preserve.
When I arrived at Denis’s Hotel, I was devastated to find a sign on the door saying the restaurant would be closed that evening. Especially after the lady at the hotel in Wittlich had praised the food. Plus the fact that there was nowhere else to eat in the village. However, on checking in, Denis reassured me right away, saying that he would provide either schnitzel or pasta for hotel guests at 6 o’clock if I was hungry. Which I was. And it was an excellent meal. On top of that, the bed was easily the most comfortable one so far, so I knew I would have a good night before the final leg to Trier the next day when I would need to cover in excess of 30 km again.
Footsteps 